I spent a couple of hours with the new Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold its not a reinvention, but a nudge toward perfection

Date:
Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Description:
The Pixel 11 Pro Fold gets a refined design, upgraded components, and a fascinating new HiLights hardware feature, while remaining true to its flexible, Gemini-centric roots.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Ive always liked the Google Pixel Fold. It was, for a time, one of the thinner and more interesting folding phones on the market, but its since been nudged aside by ultra-slim Samsung Galaxy Z Fold devices, and now the still-fresh and oddly shaped
Galaxy Z Fold 8. The new Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold is, however, an exciting
new entrant in the growing foldable field.

It's not just thinner (slightly) and a lot lighter than its predecessor. Google has cleaned up the design, shrinking bezels, enlarging a screen, reducing the size of the hinges, vastly reducing the size of the camera array island, and even adding an unusual hardware notification feature. In my brief hands-on time with this new foldable, I found the Pixel 11 Pro Fold surprisingly intriguing. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: Unfolding more price hikes (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) Like so
many other consumer electronics gadgets this year, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is more expensive than the last model ($1,899 versus $1,799 in the US). One
might assume that this is due to design and feature enhancements, but I think its all down to the rising cost of memory and storage, which we can mostly blame on the demands of AI which I guess we can also blame in part on Google itself. After all, Gemini is now at the heart of almost everything the
company makes and does, including the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Its packed with Gemini-related features, most of which I did not have the chance to try out during our jam-packed hands-on session.

At a high level, Google has obviously taken notes on all the ways the Pixel
10 Pro Fold didnt quite hit the mark, and refined in this new foldable to seriously compete with the likes of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Z Fold 8. You may like I tried the new Pixel 11 range, and Google's made improvements all over, with a surprising 'HiLight' Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra review: the best foldable just got a little bit better Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8
review: a shot in the arm for the foldables market Image 1 of 2 (Image
credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) Image
1 of 2 View Original Image 2 of 2 View Original On the cover screen, the
black bezel around the display has shrunk significantly to accommodate the
now 6.5-inch Super Actual display. The main, flexible screen is still eight inches, but the bezels around it also look thinner.

Folded, the phones hinge looks even more well-hidden, now sitting essentially flat against the two folded halves. Google tells me the internal panels under the folding display feature a Titanium plate and flexible hinge panel under layers of polymer, slightly thicker and stronger Ultra-Thin glass, and the OLED panel. The hinge mechanism itself is wider on the inside to further reduce deformation. When unfolded, the phone looks virtually flat, and the crease is harder to detect than on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Image 1 of 2 The Pixel 11 Pro
Fold is on the left, and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is on the right (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) The Pixel 11 Pro Fold is on the left, and the Pixel
10 Pro Fold is on the right (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) Image 1 of 2 View Original Image 2 of 2 View Original While not as thin as the 4.1mm-thick Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold has slimmed and trimmed a bit compared to its predecessor. Its now just 5mm thick, as opposed to the roughly 5.1mm of the 10 Pro Fold. More notable is the 239g chassis weight; thats almost 20 grams lighter than the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, and I can tell you that in my hand the weight loss is noticeable. This is now a relatively lightweight and quite attractive device that also still happens to be IP68-rated, something no other foldable can claim to be at the moment.

As with virtually every other smartphone on the planet, the thinner profile
is broken by a camera island that juts out of the back to accommodate, among other things, the three lenses. I was, though, pleased to discover that
Google has shrunk this island considerably, so that it no longer looks like a giant block slapped onto the back of an otherwise attractively smooth and
flat surface. Image 1 of 9 (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) Image
1 of 9 View Original Image 2 of 9 View Original Image 3 of 9 View Original Image 4 of 9 View Original Image 5 of 9 View Original Image 6 of 9 View Original Image 7 of 9 View Original Image 8 of 9 View Original Image 9 of 9 View Original The other big and noteworthy design and hardware addition and one that lives in that island is HiLight. What to read next TechRadar's
picks for the best foldable phones 7 biggest Google Pixel 11 rumors rated by likelihood 7 things we learned from the Google Pixel 11 launch

HiLight is a collection of multi-colored LEDs that sit on the back of the phone, inside the space typically devoted to the LED flashlight. Its designed to be used when the phone is face down on a table; HiLight wont even work
when you're holding the phone in your hand (we tried).

For now, HiLight has just two jobs. One is to be an animated Gemini
interface. It glows and flows in shades of blue, like the standard Gemini interface, to let you know its listening and working with you. The effect is quite nice, and indicative of more than just the work of a handful of LEDs. This is how HiLight looks in action on a Pixel 11 Pro when responding to a Gemini query (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) HiLights other job is to let you know when someone who matters to you is calling. You can assign different colors (there are maybe five options) to various family members and even groups. When they call, your HiLight, which is also found on other Pixel 11 phones, pulses in that color. Again, its a compelling effect, though Im
not sure how many people will use it; after all, most of us, for better or worse, live with our phones in our hands. Camera snapshot (Image credit:
Lance Ulanoff / Future) Google hasn't upgraded the headline camera specs, leaving us with the 48MP wide, 10.5MP ultra-wide, and 10.8MP telephoto, but the main camera now has a new sensor that offers, according to Google, 50% better low-light performance, a potential boon for night photography. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) Image 1 of 2 View Original Image 2 of 2 View Original There are also
a pair of 10MP cameras for selfie shots on the main and cover screens.

I do wish Google had upped the megapixels of the cameras to better compete with the likes of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra (its main camera is 200MP), but
at least we have that 5x optical zoom camera with optical (and electronic) image stabilization.

I took a few photos with the cameras, but not enough to draw any conclusions, though I would say the ultra-wide seems pretty good for macro photography. Image 1 of 6 (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) Image 1 of 6 View Original Image 2 of 6 View Original Image 3 of 6 View Original Image 4 of 6 View Original Image 5 of 6 View Original Image 6 of 6 View Original There are some new camera features of note (AI-powered and otherwise) that, as is usually the case, will set the Pixel line apart until Google gifts them to partners like Samsung. One is called Magic Capture, which lets you photograph the peak moment without really thinking about how to capture the moment. Google says it analyzes 500 frames to find the right shot, and then crops and even unblurs it to turn it into a usable photo. I did not get to try this feature out.

Camera Looks applies aesthetic filters during capture, which is something Im not sure Id ever use. I prefer to see the unvarnished image, and then decide if it needs some adjustment to give it more drama or punch.

I am excited to try the Creators Suite, which is adding, among other things, an on-screen teleprompter. That would be a huge help for me when I film video reviews and need to read off a script. Good looks and smaller battery (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) Everything from websites to maps and photos looked great on both screens. Neither display is significantly different to those on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, but both do enjoy a nice peak brightness
bump, up to 3,600 nits from 3,000. I pushed the screens to peak brightness, although being indoors I could not tell if they were sunlight beaters.

I was a little surprised to learn that the battery size has dropped from 5015mAh to 4750mAh, a fact that may account for the Folds lighter weight
this change might have made more sense if Google had switched to the denser silicon carbon battery technology (same charge in less space) now found in
the entire Galaxy Z8 line . While Im worried that the smaller battery might result in shorter battery life, Google is still promising 24 hours of use on
a full charge. On the bright side, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold still has Pixel
Snap, a MagSafe-style magnetic charge ring that lets the phone magnetically snap onto Qi charge stands and phone grips. I tried it on the new device, and it's just as satisfying to use as ever.

In my brief time with the phone, I enjoyed smooth performance (helped in part by a 1-120Hz display), which is mostly due to some impressive specs. The
Pixel 11 Pro Fold arrives with 16GB of RAM (even more than you get with the base Pixel 10 Pro), and starts with 256GB of storage, going up to 1TB.

More exciting, though, is the Google Tensor G6, the first 2nm-process mobile CPU. I dont expect the processor to be wildly faster than the best Apple and Qualcomm have to offer, but that 2nm might make it far more efficient. In fact, it could be the reason why Google felt comfortable reducing the size of the battery.

Overall, Im encouraged by what I see. This is easily the best-looking Pixel Fold to date. Its lighter, thinner, possibly faster and more efficient, and, of course, should be a fantastic showcase for Gemini. My one Gemini experience, by the way, was taking a macro photo of a floral array and then giving Gemini screen access so I could ask it to identify the flower. It did so quickly and effortlessly. (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) As for
how the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold competes with the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the unusually shaped Z Fold 8, well, it stands nearly toe-to-toe with the Ultra model, though I think the Ultra has it beat on photo capabilities. The
Z Fold 8 Ultra is also considerably lighter, making it feel like a no-compromises flagship with a secret 8-inch display. Its harder to compare the Pixel 11 Pro Fold to the Galaxy Z Fold 8. The aspect ratios are so different, and the camera capabilities are quite far apart (favoring the Pixel). Ultimately, I think the two foldables are for completely different customers.

If youre thinking about a pure Google and Gemini experience on the biggest screen you can fit in your pocket, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is a pretty good
bet, and may make you happier than the pricier Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, which might overwhelm you by packing no fewer than three on-board AI systems.
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